Understanding root cause of terrorism

Published: Saturday, August 6, 2005 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, August 6, 2005 at 12:00 a.m.

The recent subway and bus bombings in London last month have heightened fears the same tactics may be used in the United States. There is reason for concern. It is clear that there are some people among us who are willing to kill innocent people for a cause. The fact that these people are willing to give up their own lives in the attack makes them almost impossible to stop.

Understanding this cause of the terrorist is elusive. Some say it's our military presence in Saudi Arabia but we have now closed our bases their and left. Some say it is our support for Israel but until recently Osama Bin Laden never mentioned our involvement with Israel as a motivation for his terrorist acts. Some terrorist believe that they are commanded to engage in violent acts by the Holy Qu'ran itself, yet leading Islamic leaders including those recently in the United States have condemned terrorism and issued a Fatwa against it.

Others point to our invasion of Iraq. The invasion may have been ill-advised for a number of reasons such as, no weapons of mass destruction, the fact that Saddam Hussein had no direct relationship with Al-Qaeda, and the potential destabilization of the entire region. Our military presence in Iraq has given Osama Bin Laden his greatest recruiting tool yet.

While I do believe that the Western World has made its share of mistakes in dealing with the Islamic World, I do not believe that these mistakes are the root cause of terrorism. This is not to say that the United States and Europe should not reassess their policies but we should not do so in response to terrorism.

The root cause of terrorism in this world is simply this. There are some evil people who are willing to kill innocent people. It is no more complicated than that. They are not political leaders because they have neither a political philosophy nor a country. They are not religious leaders for their theology bares no resemblance to the faith they espouse. To say that they are Muslim is to say that Hitler was a Christian.

Their aim is not to liberate anyone. At worst, their goal is simply to kill and destroy as many people as possible. At best, it is their plan to establish an Islamic State much like what existed in Afghanistan under the Taliban. But the Taliban were Islamic in name only and they used religion simply as a means of disguising their brutal fascism.

The terrorists we fight are gangsters and Osama Bin Laden is their Al Capone. They are the lowest of the low. Their victims are as much Muslim as they are Christian, or Hindu. Anyone who gets in the way of their thuggery is their enemy. Their violence is no respecter of people or religion. They have killed thousands of Muslims in Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Kenya. One of the subway stations attacked by the terrorists several weeks ago in London was one that was predominantly used by Muslims.

So while these terrorists may be extremists, to confer upon them the title of religious is demeaning to the Muslim world. Recently, Muslim clerics in the United States issued a Fatwa condemning terrorism in the strongest possible terms. But more must be done by the Islamic community to fight this extremism within its own ranks. It is not enough just to say that it is wrong but rather law abiding Muslims in this country must say that terrorism is a blasphemy against Islam and fighting it is in accordance with their faith. Also, the authorities in this country need to develop respectful relationships with Muslim leaders so that the lines of communication will be open so terrorist acts can be thwarted before they happen.

At the same time, Christians and adherents to other faiths must reach out to Muslims in dialogue. One great goal of the terrorist is to foment hatred amongst Christians and Muslims. This hatred is the lifeblood of their movement and if we adopt the viewpoint that all Muslims are bad then we will be helping their cause. Indeed, it may well be that one of the great keys to defeating terrorism may lie in that old teaching of scripture which instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The Rev. Gary Richardson is pastor of Friendship United Methodist Church near Statesville.

<p>The recent subway and bus bombings in London last month have heightened fears the same tactics may be used in the United States. There is reason for concern. It is clear that there are some people among us who are willing to kill innocent people for a cause. The fact that these people are willing to give up their own lives in the attack makes them almost impossible to stop.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Understanding this cause of the terrorist is elusive. Some say it's our military presence in Saudi Arabia but we have now closed our bases their and left. Some say it is our support for Israel but until recently Osama Bin Laden never mentioned our involvement with Israel as a motivation for his terrorist acts. Some terrorist believe that they are commanded to engage in violent acts by the Holy Qu'ran itself, yet leading Islamic leaders including those recently in the United States have condemned terrorism and issued a Fatwa against it.</p><p>Others point to our invasion of Iraq. The invasion may have been ill-advised for a number of reasons such as, no weapons of mass destruction, the fact that Saddam Hussein had no direct relationship with Al-Qaeda, and the potential destabilization of the entire region. Our military presence in Iraq has given Osama Bin Laden his greatest recruiting tool yet.</p><p>While I do believe that the Western World has made its share of mistakes in dealing with the Islamic World, I do not believe that these mistakes are the root cause of terrorism. This is not to say that the United States and Europe should not reassess their policies but we should not do so in response to terrorism.</p><p>The root cause of terrorism in this world is simply this. There are some evil people who are willing to kill innocent people. It is no more complicated than that. They are not political leaders because they have neither a political philosophy nor a country. They are not religious leaders for their theology bares no resemblance to the faith they espouse. To say that they are Muslim is to say that Hitler was a Christian.</p><p>Their aim is not to liberate anyone. At worst, their goal is simply to kill and destroy as many people as possible. At best, it is their plan to establish an Islamic State much like what existed in Afghanistan under the Taliban. But the Taliban were Islamic in name only and they used religion simply as a means of disguising their brutal fascism.</p><p>The terrorists we fight are gangsters and Osama Bin Laden is their Al Capone. They are the lowest of the low. Their victims are as much Muslim as they are Christian, or Hindu. Anyone who gets in the way of their thuggery is their enemy. Their violence is no respecter of people or religion. They have killed thousands of Muslims in Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Kenya. One of the subway stations attacked by the terrorists several weeks ago in London was one that was predominantly used by Muslims.</p><p>So while these terrorists may be extremists, to confer upon them the title of religious is demeaning to the Muslim world. Recently, Muslim clerics in the United States issued a Fatwa condemning terrorism in the strongest possible terms. But more must be done by the Islamic community to fight this extremism within its own ranks. It is not enough just to say that it is wrong but rather law abiding Muslims in this country must say that terrorism is a blasphemy against Islam and fighting it is in accordance with their faith. Also, the authorities in this country need to develop respectful relationships with Muslim leaders so that the lines of communication will be open so terrorist acts can be thwarted before they happen.</p><p>At the same time, Christians and adherents to other faiths must reach out to Muslims in dialogue. One great goal of the terrorist is to foment hatred amongst Christians and Muslims. This hatred is the lifeblood of their movement and if we adopt the viewpoint that all Muslims are bad then we will be helping their cause. Indeed, it may well be that one of the great keys to defeating terrorism may lie in that old teaching of scripture which instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves.</p><p>The Rev. Gary Richardson is pastor of Friendship United Methodist Church near Statesville.</p>